Bread of life
by fukuji mihoko
Summary: In another plane of time quite different to her own, Sakura Kyouko is reborn into a new body to become the friend of a lonely little girl. That girl is called Ushiromiya Maria.
1. Panis angelicus

**Bread of life**

Chapter I  
>'Panis angelicus'<p>

* * *

><p>Sakura Kyouko is dying.<p>

This is an inescapable fact.

It's funny, though. Wasn't she meant to be the tough one?

Wait…

That's not so funny.

Fucking depressing, more like.

A-and she's going to die because of Sayaka? The same newbie little puella magi Kyouko goaded all those times? The same foolish little girl with dreams so big they crushed her heart at every footstep? That stupid fucking _idealist _with her _perfect _visions of a _perfect _world that twisted her body beyond repair until she turned into this ugly monster Kyouko sees before her?

Maybe if Sayaka had listened to Kyouko's advice it wouldn't have ended like this- but it's too late now.

It's too late for Sayaka.

And now it's too late for Kyouko, too.

Sakura Kyouko is going to die because of _**that**_ ignorant, insolent, insufferable little brat.

That, also, is an inescapable fact.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

What a cheap way to die.

T-that's… that's stupid.

So _stupid._

If there_ any_ bits of Miki Sayaka left inside that giant metallic mess of mermaid's tail and razor sharp swords Kyouko's sure those bits and pieces will be laughing at her.

_Didn't you say magical girls should only use their magic for their own gain, Kyouko? What happened to that? What about your philosophy? Aren't you being hypocritical?_

_Being a 'hero' doesn't get you anything- apart from an early grave._

_You of all people should know this._

_Remember what happened to your dad?_

_There's so no such thing as a selfless puella magi- because she's the over-bearing idiot who waltzes into battle all guns blazing and gets her head bitten off._

_You're better than that, Kyouko._

_You should know by now how foolish it is to care about others; especially when Sayaka was so hell-bent on driving herself into her own grave._

_Miki Sayaka is dead._

_And soon, you will be too._

W-why did she have to be such a big damn hero?

But Kyouko couldn't leave Sayaka… A-and maybe, if there **is **a piece of Sayaka left inside that monstrous mutation, that soul-corruption and loss of innocence, then maybe that piece of Sayaka won't be sniggering at Kyouko's sudden heel face turn after all.

Maybe, instead, it will be smiling.

_Thank you… Kyouko-chan._

Nobody wants to die alone.

Ha.

At least Kyouko will go out with a bang.

.

.

.

.

White.

It's so bright.

Dying… doesn't feel that bad…

I-it's more like…

Drifting…

.

.

.

.

She expected it to hurt more.

Maybe it should hurt more.

.

.

.

.

Maybe she's not even dead.

.

.

.

.

Is this real?

An illusion?

Everything around her white…

So white…

.

.

.

.

Where is the pain?

Where did it go?

Was ever there to begin with?

Kyouko can't remember.

Searching for the pain is like trying to divine whether it's raining; cautiously reaching your hand out from underneath your umbrella, and checking the puddles at your feet to see if there are any tell-tale ripples.

Is it safe to put the umbrella away?

…D-does that analogy even make any sense?

Whatever.

What the fuck ever.

Kyouko doesn't care.

Kyouko doesn't care about much anymore.

.

.

.

.

Then, much later (or maybe it's only a few seconds after), a thought occurs to her.

There was pain once- but that is little more than a distant memory.

Kyouko is sure, as she struggled to get to her feet- tried to avoid the devastating blows of those flickering wheels (who used wheels as a weapon when that monster, that witch, _**Sayaka**_, had been quite plainly holding a sword? Maybe there was some symbolism about those wheels, but Kyouko's sick and tired of 'symbolism' now), it had hurt.

Every crushing blow had broken bones, rupturing organs- internal bleeding all round. It felt her chest was on fire (maybe she shouldn't have eaten all those snacks…) It had hurt to breathe.

Now there is nothing.

Is this… heaven?

…M-maybe her dad was right… …

And that's funny, too.

.

.

.

.

Some part of Kyouko- some cruel, biting, sarcastic part she always tried to smother when she was younger- always doubted her dad's teachings.

Maybe that was why he snapped.

Because he knew, even though the magic-controlled masses believed, his own daughter didn't. Kyouko sacrificed her life, became a… a fucking zombie, a parasite, a _lich_, for a fantasy she never even truly accepted.

Kyouko had… never really believed…

B-but maybe her dad was right.

Maybe heaven did exist.

_I-I'm sorry._

_M-maybe you didn't a miracle._

_If I had believed in you, with all my heart and all my soul, that might have been enough._

_I'm sorry._

_I-I was a bad daughter…_

…

…_D-damn._

_F-fuck this sentimental shit._

_I-I think I've got something in my eye…_

.

.

.

.

How long has she been drifting, formless, like vapour?

She doesn't know.

Maybe this isn't heaven.

Maybe this is purgatory.

She is repenting for her sins.

.

.

.

.

Time passes like the waves running against the shore.

And Sakura Kyouko continues to drift.

.

.

.

.

And then-

An angel?

N-no…

Not an angel.

The mysterious figure is attired in an ornate dress of subtly shifting fabric; red and black and gold. Her blonde hair is tied up in an elegant bun. Her eyes are narrow and calculating.

Kyouko wonders how she can see this figure in so much detail. Wasn't she a dim silhouette; a shadow in the distance; a figure enveloped by fog?

But the fog has gone now.

Vanished without a trace.

_Just like the bodies of dead magical girls._

_I wonder if I left a corpse._

Kyouko wonders if this is a dream. Maybe all of it was some delusion; her father, the incubators, Sayaka… Everything.

Kyouko pinches her cheek-

_Ow._

-no such luck. It still hurts.

And then…

Kyouko's eyes widened.

She just pinched her cheek.

She _pinched _her _cheek._

Implying she not only has cheeks, but fingers too- and with fingers come hands, and with hands come arms; and, before you know it, you've got a whole human body in perfect working order!

Kyouko looks down in some surprise, hardly daring to hope.

For the first time in her life, her hopes are all granted.

She has legs and arms, hands and feet, and when her brain says 'move' her fingertips twitch in accordance to her commands. Having a body shouldn't surprise her so much- but she's been drifting, formless, for so long it's a little disconcerting.

Her head feels like a lead weight.

Her heavy feet root her into the earth.

Her hands are inelegant and clumsy.

But she has a body, and perhaps that's all that matters.

Kyouko then turns to look about her surroundings. She's sat on a chair at a circular table. The blonde-haired woman is sat opposite her in a similar chair. There's a second woman stood beside the first; a person with long lilac hair who seems to exude a 'tranquil' aura. Her eyes are half-lidded.

The table before Kyouko is set neatly with willow-patterned plates of sugar cookies and cups of tea. Are they having a tea party?

A tea party under a pavilion surrounded by an endless rose garden…

How quaint.

Oh, look.

There are golden butterflies, too.

Kyouko is not surprised. Somehow, the concept that she has arms and legs again was more of a shock than the strangely-colored insect life (are butterflies insects…?)

If this is 'heaven', Sakura Kyouko doesn't think much of it. Personally, she quite likes the idea of a Viking Valhalla; a place where fallen heroes congregate to fight to the death every night.

Kyouko liked fighting; she really did. It was exhilarating. It was fun.

Tea parties?

…They're not really Kyouko's forte.

The sugar cookies do look quite good, though…

Kyouko reaches across the table and takes a handful before she realizes what she's doing- but she hasn't eaten in so long, and those dark memories of starvation and sticking out ribs float across her mind before she can stop them. She has to have food in her hands, in her mouth, on her tongue.

It's reassuring.

It assures her she's still alive.

That she's not going to starve.

Not like last time.

…Those sugar cookies are _incredibly _good.

Even so, if 'heaven' is, in actuality, an endless, sweet-smelling rose garden and eternal tea parties, this a fucking joke! All the sugar cookies in the world couldn't change Kyouko's disgusted opinion of the whole matter.

Kyouko didn't sacrifice herself for an eternity of mind-numbing tedium!

Kyouko wants out.

But the blonde-haired woman with the blue eyes is talking. She pushes a cup of tea towards Kyouko, a knowing smirk flickering across her lips.

Somehow, it feels like looking into a mirror.

Kyouko looks at the blonde-haired woman and she sees a lot of herself reflected in that cruel smile.

Kyouko feels this woman, beneath her beautiful hair and beautiful clothes, is a complete bitch.

Kyouko's always been good at judging people.

And then the golden-haired woman speaks.

"Welcome to the Golden Land, Sakura Kyouko. My name is Beatrice the Golden Witch- but I'm quite different to the witches you usually fight, no?~ I'm m_uuu_ch more refined and elegant!~ Gyahaha!"

It is at this point Kyouko wonders, speculatively, if she's gone insane.

The cookies are _heavenly_, though, so what's the point in complaining?

* * *

><p><strong>an: **Why am I always struck with such weird fic ideas? XD  
>Umineko is an incredibly/ fun fandom to cross stuff over with, though. I'll explain everything to you (and Kyouko XD) in the next chapter, if anybody cares to stick around for that long XD; This fic is only gonna be like 5-6 chapters long though. It's a baby ficlet :D

**~renahhchen xoxo**


	2. Fit panis hominum

**Bread of life**

Chapter II  
>'Fit panis hominum'<p>

* * *

><p>"Huh? Are you <em>sure <em>you're a witch?" asks Kyouko, raising a brow.

She's leaning forwards, elbows on the table, her head supported by one hand whilst the other pinches a sugar cookie between the thumb and forefinger. It's bad manners to eat with your elbows on the table... but Kyouko doesn't really care. It's worse manners to have your boobs spilling out over the top of your super low-cut dress, too- and if the so-called 'Golden Witch Beatrice' can dress like a Victorian era prostitute then Kyouko can eat with her elbows on the table.

"Of course I'm a witch," says Beatrice, her voice prideful. "Would you like me to prove it? I could turn you into a fly and feed you to a spider, or turn your internal organs into cake~ Doesn't that sound like fun? Gyahaha!~"

Kyouko's lips quirk upwards in a smirk, as she stuffs another cookie into her mouth. Her lips are flaked with crumbs, but she doesn't care.

Kyouko likes people like this. The loud, arrogant types are always the most fun to toy around with... And Kyouko was getting tired of fighting weak witches, anyway. At least _this _witch appears to possess a little more cunning.

"Ha. Cute. Real cute," says Kyouko. "You're not a very intimidating witch, though, evil laugh aside."

The silver-haired woman besides Beatrice giggles softly at this comment. She has a nice laugh. It's light and airy, and makes Kyouko think of lemon meringue, somehow- only it's not as bitter. Kyouko relates most things to food.

"Shut up, teacher," says Beatrice, giving the silver-haired woman a pointed glare.

"I apologize... Please forgive me. It's just entertaining to see you get taken down a peg or two." The silver-haired woman bows her head. She's still smiling, her eyes half-lidded. It appears as though that smile is frozen on her face- but it suits her.

Not like Kyuubey.

It's never-changing stock cat-smile always gave Kyouko the creeps; mainly because she learnt, after a while, just what was lurking underneath it.

Nothing.

Kyouko shudders and takes another sugar cookie.

She was killed, wasn't she?

Sayaka killed her- or the witch inside Sayaka, at any rate. But Kyuubey pushed her into it. Kyouko's sure that stupid magical fox-dog _thing _(ahh, why use such 'endearing' terms? 'Monster' will do just fine) was mainpulating her; first withholding information about her her soul (i.e. it kind of sort of got disengaged from her body), and then giving her vague hints that she might be able to save Sayaka.

Of course, that was nonsense- as Kyouko soon learnt. The moment she encountered that mechanical mermaid with its ghostly choir, it became blatantly obvious Sayaka was beyond saving. She wasn't even human anymore- just a train wreck of negative emotion compressed together and given form.

A horrifying form.

Had that monster lurked inside Sayaka's heart the whole time? Had it crept up on her, unawares, when she felt depressed? Had its blade-like fingers skewered her heart in a moment of confusion and pain and misery and refused to let go?

Did all people- not just Puella Magi- have something like that inside them?

Probably.

Kyouko's father did, and she loved him with all her heart.

Being a magical girl merely gave that dark side a physical form; but if everybody owned one, did that not mean the world was inherently rotten?

…Aha, well, that subject matter was a little dark. Kyouko would rather focus her hatred into a fine point on **one **creature rather than the whole of humanity.

Who was to blame here?

The answer was obvious.

Kyuubey.

Kyuubey had known Sayaka was beyond saving- but that monster had still given Kyouko false hope.

He'd given her just enough hope to keep going; pushed her into playing a role Kyouko had never wanted to take. Kyuubey had twisted her arm- turned her into a big fucking hero, even though 'heroic' Puella Magi were always the ones who charged in blindly and got cut down first. Kyouko knew this, but Kyuubey's cryptic words left her just enough leeway to hope...

And then that hope had been crushed in front of her face.

Kyouko was dead and it was all Kyuubey's fault.

_Damn damn damn-_

Kyouko bites down on the sugar cookies with vigor, crunching them like thunder between her teeth. She notes, with a dull sense of surprise, that no matter how much she eats the pile of cookies never seems to go down.

Magic.

It must be magic.

Well, she should be dead anyway. Is this also 'magic'? Another part of the Puella Magi deal Kyuubey oh-so-conveniently 'neglected' to tell her? Is she going to spend the rest of her life sat at this table with this blonde-haired 'witch' eating cookies?

Sure.

Why not.

Why the fuck not.

It wouldn't surprise Kyouko.

Nothing would surprise her anymore.

Kyouko speaks through a mouthful of food, "I'm dead, aren't I."

Beatrice nods.

The news should shock Kyouko more.

It doesn't.

"Where am I, then?" asks Kyouko, drumming her fingertips against the table. "Is this some part of being a Puella Magi that hideous little rodent _forgot _to tell me?"

"Little rodent?"

"Kyuubey. You know Kyuubey, right? He's _reaalll _popular where I came from."

"I don't know the details of your universe. It doesn't concern me," says Beatrice. She sounds like a petulant child who couldn't be bothered to read anything for a book assignment- 'I don't care about it, it's boring!' Despite her slightly overwhelming appearance, cruel smile and womanly figure, Beatrice seems to be rather childish.

_A Puella Magi is a girl doomed to be a witch. They'll never grow up._

...Huh.

Puella Magi or not, it looks like Beatrice the 'Golden Witch' (Kyouko is unable to think of that ridiculously pompous title without sniggering to herself) never grew up, either.

Kyouko's fingertips tap against the tabletop with more urgency. She hates sitting down- she needs to move; to burn off all the calories in those sugar cookies, to get off her ass and hunt down Kyuubey, where's Madoka? what about Homura?, or maybe she just needs to run through some witches with her spear.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"Whaddaya mean, 'universe'?" asks Kyouko, narrowing her eyes. "Are you gonna go all sci-fi shit on me now?"

"What coarse language for a lady!" says Beatrice, shaking her head. "Deplorable, just deplorable."

"Hey, look, Goldilocks-"

"Beatrice the Golden Witch. You may call me Beatrice."

"...Whatever. Point is, you seem to be the one who called me here! I'd kinda like an explanation, if it's all the same to you, _your Majesty._"

Kyouko slams a palm against the table to punctuate her final point of sarcasm. The plate of cookies tremble from the force of her movement. Kyouko's filled with too much energy- she needs to do something. She needs to prove to herself she's not dead. She doesn't _feel_ dead. If she is in a 'separate universe', is it too late to Homura? What about Madoka? Walpurgis Night?

Is it... all over?

Then why is she still here?

"Please calm down," says the mild-mannered, silver-haired witch. "I apologize for Beato's behavior. She's not the most sympathetic of people. Hehe~" She giggles. It's demure and ladylike, incredibly soothing. "Even her own furniture call her thick-headed."

"Hey!" Beatrice pouts, her lower lip sticking out like a ducks' bill. "Maria likes me."

"Perhaps that's because she can sense how childish you are~ You two are very similar."

"T-teacher!" Kyouko is equal parts amused and intrigued to find Beatrice's face flushing light pink. "D-don't talk about me like that in front of that... that..." Beatrice pulls a face. "_That _little brat!"

"'That little brat' has a name, you know," says Kyouko, folding her arms. "It's Sakura Kyouko. And she would very much like to know what the fuck is going on."

"Certainly," says the silver-haired woman, smiling. "It would perhaps be best if I told you... Beato is a sweet girl, really, but she can be a little bit... Well, you know what I mean."

Kyouko sniggers. She likes this woman- and she especially likes her insane hat. That is one nifty testament to awesome perched on her silver hair; a wide brim with frothy white lace, the top part studded with roses.

"My name is Virgilia," says Hat-Head in her pleasant voice. "I am a witch much like Beato here- but we are not the same witches from your universe. We have never been a part of your universe, and our magic operates under different laws. To put it simply... We were never Puella Magi like you. We were... Hmn~ It's quite complex, but I think it would suffice to say we were born with our powers."

"Born?" asks Kyouko. She scowls. "What a fuckin' cop-out. I had sacrifice my _**soul **_for a shitty outfit and a super-powered spear- but you get that all for free?"

"Whaaat?~" asks Beatrice, smirking. "Jealous?~"

"Damn right I'm jealous. You don't know how easy you've got it! Man- this pisses me off!"

And, with a swift, angry motion, Kyouko reaches forwards and snags one, two, three cookies in her hands, and (somehow) manages to fit them all in her mouth. She likes the crunch they make when she bites down; just like breaking bones. If she imagines they're Kyuubey the experience of eating is ten times more enjoyable than usual.

"The world we inhabit doesn't have a name," Virgilia continues. Her voice is musical; the kind of voice that could sing a baby to sleep. "It exists between numerous connected worlds and is inhabited by other witches and various demons. Occasionally we invite an odd human or two here."

"Like me?" asks Kyouko, through a mouthful of cookie-mush (yum, Kyuubey guts. Om nom nom).

"You're a special case," says Virgilia. "You're... not really a human anymore. It's... difficult to explain- but the witches in our world get bored quite a lot. That's we have so many tea parties! But some witches search for enjoyment beyond drinking tea and eating cakes. These witches developed a sort of 'game' to play with each other to pass the time."

"Hopscotch?"

"The idea has honestly never occurred to me," says Virgilia, still smiling.

"Yeah... I guess it would be a liiittle difficult with your impractical dresses and all. But it doesn't hurt to ask."

"Pssh. The dress has nothing to do with it. Teacher's just way to ooolddd to do anything other than sit and drink tea," says Beatrice, smirking to herself like a naughty schoolgirl. "Her knees'd give out on her!"

"I could still defeat you in a fair fight," says Virgilia.

Beatrice sticks out her tongue. "I don't play fair."

"As I'm well aware. But, yes..." Virgilia turns back to Kyouko, adjusting her hat slightly. "The nature of the witches' games are... Well. Some of them are quite cruel. Have you heard of the game chess?"

"Of course. I'm not a total idiot."

"Well, the game we witches like to play above all else resembles chess... Only the pieces are people."

"People?" Kyouko raises a brow. "Doesn't that sound a _liiiitle _bit twisted?"

"Sometimes it is," says Virgilia gravely. "Witches search for interesting universes that exist beyond our realm. There are hundreds of them- thousands. And they treat them all as potential chessboards, and the people as pieces. When the witches find an interesting universe they like, they use it as a stage for their games and begin to set up pieces."

"Huh... So you're saying... there are lots of worlds with intelligent life out there... You witches have access to all of them... And when you see worlds you like, you take them over and fuck them up to high heaven?" asks Kyouko, tilting her head to one side. "Is that the general gist of it?"

Virgilia nods.

"A few witches in our universe found your world incredibly interesting, Miss Sakura... Or would you prefer Kyouko?"

"Kyouko's cool."

"Well, Miss Kyouko... I'm sorry to tell you this..." Virgilia pauses, adjusts her hat again. Kyouko wonders whether that hat's only there to give Virgilia's hands something to do when she's agitated. Even her slight smile has gone, leaving behind a real kind of empathy that reminds Kyouko strongly of Madoka. An older, more mature Madoka. "These witches begin to fiddle with the mechanics of your world from afar, in an attempt to create an interesting story. Miss Lambdadelta challenged Miss Bernkastel- a fearsome witch- to try and create a happy ending from a world filled with despair. Miss Bernkastel's piece was called Akemi Homura."

Kyouko sits there, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide.

Homura?

Homura was a 'piece' in a witches' game? Did that mean Kyouko, too, had been a 'piece'? What about Madoka? What about Sayaka? Even... Kyuubey?

That gave Kyouko a sick sense of satisfaction. The great, oh-so-powerful Kyuubey had- unwittingly- controlled by another being. A more powerful being. That was... That was kind of hilarious. And Kyuubey thought he knew everything?

Well, he was dead wrong.

Dead fucking wrong.

Kyouko could have argued with Virgilia- but she doesn't see the point. Her whole world was filled with implausibilities; one after the other after the other, until trying to rationalize them would have been incredibly _irrational _indeed.

Kyouko didn't want to think about it too much. It'd only give her a headache.

"Huh. I always knew there was something weird Akemi Homura," says Kyouko. "Guess that's one mystery solved."

"Ahh... You're taking this remarkably well," says Virgilia, smiling.

Kyouko shrugs. "S'kinda what happens when your world gets turned upside-down by a magical talking fox. You fight some witches with your magical skills, learn you've become a zombie... Then you get killed trying to be a hero and you end up in a magical rose garden discussing the nature of the universe with two witches. Naah." Kyouko grins. "I can deal. This isn't even _bordering _on disturbing yet."

"You're no fun," says Beatrice sourly. "I like it better when they scream."

"Yeah, well, you're a sadistic bitch," spits back Kyouko.

"Is that any way to speak to your elders? You should be thanking me on bended knee that you're even alive at all!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You want to know what happens to pieces when they're not needed anymore?" asks Beatrice, smirking- coiling a strand of blonde hair round and round her finger. "Wellll~ They get thrown by the wayside, don't they? They're discarded and forgotten about until the next game starts up again."

"S-so when I was drifting..."

"You were a captured piece waiting until Lambdadelta felt like picking you up, dusting you off, and starting all over again," says Beatrice, smirking. There's a cruel, childish kind of pleasure about what she says. Beatrice knows she holds all the answers. Kyouko wants those answers- and Kyouko gets the feeling if Virgilia wasn't there, Beatrice would engage Kyouko in a cruel and sadistic game before she divulged the full truth.

"So, if I've been 'captured' before that means..."

"You've died a bunch of times already in different scenarios," says Beatrice, grinning. "It sucks, huh?~ Then again, most pieces don't realize they _**are**_pieces until somebody pulls them off the game board~ They have no knowledge about the prior games they might have taken part in~ Fufufu~"

...Okay.

_This _is bordering on disturbing now.

Kyouko feels a shiver run up her spine. How many times has she been killed? Does that mean Sayaka has been killed in multiple other gruesome ways as well? What about Madoka? What about Homura?

...No.

The thought of Akemi Homura's dead, empty eyes make Kyouko reconsider.

Homura knew something. She said she'd seen countless Puella Magi die- but she wasn't that much older than Kyouko, and Kyouko had only seen it happen once or twice. Kyouko hadn't even known about the soul gems. Homura had. If Kyuubey hadn't told her, where had she learnt?

"The 'piece' version of you still exists, though," says Virgilia. "Witches can bring fallen pawns into this universe fairly easily with magic, but that creates complications; especially if that fallen pawn might be needed in another game. Miss Lambdadelta and Miss Bernkastel have not yet finished with your universe, and your character is still needed."

Kyouko's face blanches. "More soul-splitting?"

"Something along those lines... To simplify, there are now two Sakura Kyoukos. There is you; the Sakura Kyouko sat at this table eating cookies. There is also the chess piece Sakura Kyouko, who has recently been brought back to the game board of Mitakihara by Lady Lambdadelta, the game master. The chess piece Sakura Kyouko does not possess the knowledge you do, and she is not aware she is being controlled."

"Then, if I go back to Mitakihara and tell her-"

Virgilia shakes her head sadly. There is a somber air about her as she says, "that is not possible."

Kyouko's eyes narrow. "Why not?"

"People who have been introduced into this universe can no longer affect the actions of those in their original worlds. If you tried to return to Mitakihara, the moment your feet touched the sidewalk time would freeze. Everything would turn grey. The world would be put on hold until you left," explains Virgilia, her voice soft. "I apologize- but that's just the way of things. Because you have knowledge you can no longer help. You can only watch."

Kyouko's eyes widen.

It...

It doesn't seem fair. Kyouko was given such a sudden influx of information it hurts her head- but with that information she could return to Mitakihara and stop the cycle of misery occurring! She could reach Sayaka before she traded her soul away on a 'selfless' wish that would never be repaid! Kyouko could tell them all about the soul gems, try to hunt down Kyuubey- and, if it was too late for her and Homura, at least try and last until Walpurgis Night so they could save the city.

Kyouko always hated 'heroes'... but she knows, as these ideas run behind her eyes like electricity, she's a lot more like Sayaka than she would like to think. Despite her jaded view of the world and bitter cynicism, Kyouko still hopes she can save everyone. Kyouko still hopes.

That was why Kyuubey was able to manipulate her so easily.

But, conversely... that was also why Kyouko didn't give in after her father's death. Kyouko never quailed even in the face of the darkest danger because the little light in her heart never went out.

She never stopped hoping.

...Kyouko hopes she's never become a witch in any of the scenarios she might have lived (and died) through. That would just be fucking embarrassing. She'd have no right to chide Sayaka for being such a dummy if that was the case.

Maybe Virgilia knows.

Better yet, maybe she could seek out 'Bernkastel' and 'Lambdadelta' and ask _them_; maybe knock a few heads together.

But first, Kyouko wants to return to her own world.

She wants to see her friends again.

She wants to help them- she needs to help them!

But she can't.

Because she knows how to help them, she can no longer see them again. Madoka, Sayaka, Homura... They all belong in a different universe that has been closed off to her current 'self'.

She's alone.

But...

That's okay.

Kyouko has been alone before.

She's used to it by now.

And…

And that's fine.

She never wanted to be a hero anyway. Heroes are stupid people like Miki Sayaka that charge in, sword in hand, and trip up under the weight of their righteousness so it chokes them. Being brave makes people stupid.

It's much easier to be alone.

At least, that's what Kyouko tries to tell herself.

Kyouko picks up another cookie and takes a defiant bite, crunching it between her canines.

It doesn't taste as sweet anymore.

* * *

><p><strong>an: **The moment I saw the time-looping thing in Puella I thought 'oh, this is /so/ Higurashi' XD And then Umineko featured the whole 'witches like trollin' each other by recycling time over and over when they play meta chess', and I just thought 'hmn, maybe Homura could be like a piece controlled by Bern who's trying to find a happy ending amongst the misery, as Rika was.' But Homura doesn't /know/ she's being controlled; she can still retain information of her different time loops because she's the one in the game who has the time traveling skills. Kind of like w/ Higurashi. This never became an issue in Umineko because it was meant to be a 'murder mystery' and none of the key characters had magical powers or help from Oyashiro-sama, so they didn't need to actively know time was resetting over and over.  
>I hope this all makes sense thus far :D<br>More information coming next chapter... Yaaay XD;  
>You now know how/ Kyouko managed to get to the metaworld, but the /why/ will be revealed next chapter :D

**~renahhchen xoxoxo**


	3. Dat panis coelicus

**Bread of life**

Chapter III  
>'Dat panis coelicus'<p>

* * *

><p>"So you're saying I can't go back and talk to my fr-" Kyouko pauses, catching herself before the words trip off the end of her tongue.<p>

'Friends'.

Were they her friends?

Kyouko hardly knew Madoka at all. Madoka was the stereotypical nice-girl, all big gooey eyes and babyish pigtails. Madoka was the sort of girl Kyouko laughed about but, deep down, was secretly jealous of- because she was so fucking innocent and naïve it _hurt._

She reminded Kyouko of her sister.

But that didn't mean Kyouko had to like her.

Homura, then?

...The idea of _**anybody**_ being Miss Cold-Eyed Super-Serious' 'friend' is actually kind of hi~_laa_~rious. Why hadn't Kyouko offered to be Homura's BFFL just to see the look of horror that would surely pass across Homura's face?

Damn.

That was a wasted opportunity.

Friends were liabilities, and Homura was not a friend.

Sayaka?

...That's a little difficult to pin down. It hurts to think about- more than it probably should, too (which isn't a good thing). Why did Kyouko rush to help that stupid girl? Maybe idiocy was catching.

Kyouko had paid for that brief moment of idiocy, though.

One single show of heroism and- poof- you've lost your life. You're dead. Hooray for you.

Kyouko doesn't know why she saved Sayaka, but she does know she was never Sayaka's friend.

Sayaka hated her.

...Understandable, as Kyouko tried to kill her a couple of times, but geez. That self-righteous little bitch with her 'I don't need your grief seeds!' and her 'I'm so incorruptible!' and her 'I'm better than you!'s had been a pain in the ass.

Sayaka had been… uncannily reminiscent of somebody, though. She'd been like another wide-eyed Puella Magi Kyouko had known once upon a time; the same wide eyes, all fired up on her brand new super-powered-strength and filled with determination to save the world.

And then Kyouko realized the world was a shit heap, most people didn't deserve to be saved at all, and any happiness you brought upon humanity was settled on some grand celestial scales in the sky with an equal dose of misery to keep everything even.

You couldn't have humanity getting too cheerful or optimistic. Did you think happiness was free?

…Well then. You're a fucking dumbass.

Kyouko kind of dropped her wide-eyed innocence after that little bombshell.

Her dad, covered in blood.

It didn't suit him. Red wasn't his color. Mmmnope. Not at all.

Sayaka reminded Kyouko a lot of herself.

An awful lot.

But Kyouko hated the weak, stupid Puella Magi she'd once been (Kyouko hated that dumb bitch who'd let her family _die_) and Kyouko didn't want to be that weak anymore.

Kyouko hated those moronic Puella Magis with their 'justice' and their sense 'right' and their 'wrong', too. Those girls started out so strong- but sooner or later they got broken down by the world and their own fucking optimism that had to gut out at some point when they opened they eyes and saw the world for what it was.

The world sucks. You sold your soul trying to save something unsalvageable. Oh, woe.

And then Sayaka turned into a witch.

Kyouko wanted to help Sayaka because Kyouko didn't think Sayaka could help herself. And Kyouko was sick of seeing weak people- why was the world filled with so many _**idiots?- **_getting ground under the ever-turning wheel of life.

Kyouko failed, though.

She couldn't save Sayaka.

Sayaka, with all her lost hopes and broken dreams and those weird mecha mermaid arms and giant cog wheels or whatever (an interesting arsenal of weaponry. That sword made Kyouko's spear look like matchwood), managed to defeat Kyouko.

The memory of the girl Kyouko had once been had come back all at once and bitten her on the ass.

Sayaka had never been a friend.

She'd been a headache.

…But that's okay.

Kyouko doesn't want friends anyway.

Fuck them.

...Well, not literally, but Kyouko _is_ going to throw up the metaphorical middle finger at those people she left behind. Friends make you weak.

And, when Kyouko manages to re-teach herself that little nugget of wisdom she should never have forgotten in the first place, she feels a lot better. The crumbs of sugar cookie on her tongue regain their flavor.

The natural balance is restored.

Kyouko is a cynical self-obsessed bitch again, and all is well with the world.

Apart from those golden butterfly bastards that keep flitting around for no fucking reason.

Kyouko doesn't want to go back to Mitatakihara.

She doesn't have anybody to go back _to._

Certainly not to the dead-eyed Homura.

Not Madoka, who looked so much like her little sister.

Not...

Not even Sayaka.

Stupid, stupid Sayaka- _you blithering idiot, complete imbecile. Bet you were wishing you'd listened to nice Kyouko's advice when you tried to save the world and the world turned round and slapped you in the face, huh? I bet that hurt. It hurt when it happened to me too, kid, but I picked myself off the floor (covered in my family's blood) and I pulled my act together. I'm not the one who turned into a fucking metal mermaid, am I?_

_You looked so stupid I wanted to laugh at you._

Kyouko doesn't have anybody left she cares about. They'll all dead.

They're dead because she killed them.

Maybe that's a good thing.

Kyouko's not too sure.

Kyouko can't bring herself to care anymore; not about other people. Other people will only let you down. Friends can turn against you. People disappoint you all the time. The only one you can rely on in the big bad world is yourself. Kyouko used to think different once, but she grew up.

You can't be innocent in this world for too long or it'll break you.

That is an inescapable fact.

You have to keep going forwards.

Going forwards is easy. You just put one foot after the other, even if it hurts. Even if your body keeps shouting at you to stop and slow down it's far too painful. You just tell your body to shut the fuck up and keep right on going.

It's looking back at the past that opens old wounds.

"So," says Kyouko, smirking. She abandons her previous question. It doesn't seem too important anymore. "Why did you weird, self-proclaimed 'witches' call me here anyway? Tea parties are nice and all, but I'm not a fucking five year old."

"You're so rude!" Beatrice says haughtily, giving Kyouko a cold look. "Especially after we prepared this tea party for your benefit, to put you at lease. Show some respect."

"I just exploded. If anything, _you _should show some respect to me," says Kyouko. "I could have some severe mental trauma!"

"Your severe 'mental trauma' will seem like a drop in the ocean compared to the large amount of physical pain I could cause you using only this teacup," Beatrice snaps.

Kyouko only yawns in response. After you've seen your own beloved father slaughter your family in cold blood, all other displays and/or promises of violence begin to seem a little lackluster.

"Yeah, yeah. Death threats aren't new to me, Beatoriiiiiche."

"W-why you..."

"Beato," says Virgilia, resting a hand on the younger witch's shoulder. "Please calm down. You're doing this as a present for Maria, remember? Do try to contain your temper."

"I-I..." Beatrice says- but she's tripping over her words. Her face blossoms light red. "I-I'm sorry, teacher... You're right."

Beatrice looks down at her lap, her eyes downcast.

This Beatrice is worlds apart from the other one. Her change in emotion is so rapid it's almost enough to give Kyouko whiplash. Is Beatrice a bitch in sheep's clothing? Is she a nice girl hiding behind a mask of hate and anger? Or maybe she's a rare breed Kyouko had only heard about in comics- a 'tsundere'.

Who is Beatrice the Golden Witch, exactly?

It's a mystery.

The world might never know.

But Kyouko doesn't really care.

It's not like she ever stopped any of the other witches she met for a conversation before she killed them. Excepting Sayaka, of course… And look how fucking well that turned out.

Then again, Beatrice and Virgilia look less likely to sever Kyouko's head from her shoulders than the normal witches she's familiar with.

The other witches would never have offered Kyouko tea, for one thing.

Greedy bitches.

"Who the fuck is Maria?" asks Kyouko, dashing through Beatrice's little pity party with her typical 'grace'. "You've mentioned her before. Is she _another _witch?"

"You could say that," says Virgilia- explaining everything as per usual. Kyouko doesn't mind, though. She has a nice voice. Soothing. You could say all sorts of bullshit with a voice like that and anybody'd swallow it, just… just _'cause._

Kyouko's old man could've learnt a lot from Virgilia.

"Maria is a different witch to Beato and I, though," Virgilia explains, adjusting her hat once more.

Kyouko rolls her eyes, smirking.

"Oh, I'm used to 'different' by now. I'm a Puella Magi who traded in her soul for a kick-ass outfit and a spear, and I'm saving the world from the evil powers of entropy and some physics shit I don't fully understand because the talking ferret told me to," says Kyouko, voice flippant. "Oh, and now I'm dead, apparently. And my whole life was a lie controlled by bitchy witches with clothes even more ridiculous and impractical than mine. So yeah, I assure you, nothing you could do or say next will shock me. I am unshockable. 'Maria' could have the head of a goat and I'd just be like 'is that all'?"

"Maria doesn't have the head of a goat," says Beatrice. She looks slightly affronted.

"Ushiromiya Maria is a young girl. She's a human, but she holds within her immense magical potential, and could even become the next Beatrice," Virgilia explains. "However, humans with magical power often find themselves... ostracized... from other people."

"And don't I know that," says Kyouko, reaching forwards for her... twenty-eighth cookie?

Kyouko groans. She's going to get fat sitting there and eating and doing fuck all. Can you burn calories by running your mouth? Then again, Kyouko's dead already. If her corpse gets fat from beyond the grave that really _would _be unfair. Kind of like robbing somebody's house and then kicking their cat for good measure. Unnecessary, overkill- but funny as hell.

"Maria sometimes joins Teacher and I for tea... But it's not enough," says Beatrice, her voice strangely sad and wistful. "She needs real friends in the human world to keep her company.

"Maria managed to create a friend for herself called Sakutaro. She crafted his existence- thoughts and feelings, a whole new person- from nothing but her own magic and a stuffed lion toy. It was... amazing. Really amazing. Most witches can give life to dead corpses with ease, but only a handful can give life to completely new beings. That is the power of origins. But I've been watching over Maria for a while now, and I feel... Concerned."

Beatrice's voice is soft. It sounds almost tender, as though she's a mother talking to a child. It's difficult for Kyouko to believe this is the same woman who threatened to brutalize her with a teacup a mere five minutes earlier.

Beatrice has some issues, obviously.

Any one person with that many flitter-fluttering emotions needs to see a doctor.

_I guess not even witches are free from split personality disorder, _Kyouko thinks, sniggering, as she bites into her cookie.

"...I've begun to think perhaps one friend is not enough to protect a child from the cruelties of the world," says Beatrice.

"Wait wait wait," says Kyouko irritably, her teeth gnashing together against cookie (yayy fattening). "If Maria is the 'witch of origins' as you said, then why can't she just magic up some new friends from thin air? Don't change the rules half-way through- that's such a cheat."

"The magic of origins is exceedingly complex. It's not so simple," says Beatrice. "Even I have yet to master it."

"But apparently Maria _has_- so what's keeping her from making a little army of living stuffed lion toys?" asks Kyouko. "Why'd you have to drag me into it? I could be… y'know. Dead. Doing dead people things. You're holding me up here."

"Maria's magic only works with belief," says Beatrice. Her eyes are downcast, strangely sad. "And recently... Maria's belief in witches has begun to slip. Maria hasn't come to visit teacher or I a while. I think it must be the bullies at school... or Rosa... all wearing her down. The seven sisters tell me Sakutaro is still alive, b-but if it fades..."

"At any rate," says Virgilia, placing a comforting hand on Beatrice's shoulder. The blonde witch looks close to tears or something. "Even if Maria could create more friends with magic, it wouldn't be the same as having a... a real friend. Somebody who stands by you not because they have to, but because they want to."

"And, out of all the people in the world for that role, you chose me," says Kyouko, her voice disbelieving.

Virgilia shakes her head. "Not quite 'chose'. We merely searched for suitable pieces..."

"Suitable?"

"Pieces that match some of Maria's ideas of a 'friend'."

"...Maria has a really shitty taste when it comes to good friends, then," says Kyouko. "I'm an asshole and I'm not ashamed to admit it!"

"You might think that... but I'm sure there's more to you than that," says Beatrice. She lifts her head- looks directly at Kyouko. It's a little unsettling, given how serious she suddenly is. "And Maria needs somebody to comfort her. She needs a few friends to thrive- like all people do. Secluded human beings eventually die of loneliness..."

_Awww, how cuuute. Beatrice has a soft side too!_

_I didn't take __**her**__ for being a 'friendship is awesome!' idiot like Sayaka. Maybe they could get together and form a club._

_I hope Beatrice doesn't flip her shit and try to kill me like Sayaka did, though. That would noottt be cool._

_Especially not after all these cookies I've eaten._

Kyouko shrugs. She's not sure what else to do- and she hates feeling confused. "Don't ask me about 'friendship'. I don't know what qualities Maria wants in a 'friend', but they're sure as hell not in me. I left that cutsey 'touchy feely emotional' stuff behind a lo~ong time ago."

"Oh, really?" asks Beatrice. She smiles pleasantly, but it's not a real smile. It's cold. Icy. Looking at it for an extended period of time makes Kyouko shiver, as though she's dipped her toes in freezing water. "Is that why you're such an unlikable person, Miss Sakura?"

"You're resorting to personal insults now?" Kyouko asks. "Reaaal mature. I expected more of you, Golden Witch Beator_iiii_che. It's not like I'm making fun of your stupid name, which I totally could do 'cause it's ridiculous."

Heheh. Beatrice's name is fun to say.

Beatriiiiiiice.

Kyouko runs the 'iiiiiice' through her head in a long, unbroken chorus, stretching it out like chewing gum.

Hehe.

Thank the heavens for the simple pleasures in life.

"Say what you will," says Beatrice, folding her arms (Kyouko kind of wishes the real world was operated under comic book laws, just so there could be a '_boing_' sound effect to accompany that), "but Maria isn't a warped, twisted, pathetic little waste of humanity like you. Maria is still a child. She still has hope. And most 'magic' relies on 'hope'. You, more than anyone, should know that."

"Hey, I still hope," says Kyouko, her voice a little indignant. "I didn't turn into some weird starfish alien thing, did I? Not like poor little Sayaka. I don't need to pin my hopes on the goodness of the whooole world, though. The world is far too big to pin all your hopes on, 'cause out of six billion people odds are somebody's going to betray your trust and act like an asshole. I don't need any of those fuckers. I believe in _me. _I'm all I need. I'm, like, a one person army here. Anybody else would only slow me down. That's just how I roll."

When Kyouko tried to save Sayaka her soul gem went ka-boom.

That knocked a little sense back into her.

All you need is yourself. Everybody else is emotional baggage.

The younger you learn that the better, right?

Sucks for Maria- but seriously, the whole world's filled with horrible people and most of them won't help you if you fall down. They'll just laugh at you. You've gotta learn to help yourself.

"Not everybody shares that philosophy," says Virgilia quietly.

"I know that," says Kyouko. "Those are the Puella Magi who end up dead."

"But trying to live by yourself is not possible, nor is it feasible."

Kyouko raises a brow. "And why's that?"

"Because you get lonely," says Beatrice.

Kyouko stares at her. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Being alone is torture. The worst kind of torture," says Beatrice. There isn't a trace of irony to her voice, even though Kyouko searches for some. Her search results come back as nil. Beatriiiice is actually telling the truth.

Who'd have thought?

"You don't realize this because you haven't been alive as long as I have. But one thousand years of being alone, waiting for somebody, anybody... Y-you couldn't even begin to comprehend it." Beatrice smiles a sick, twisted smile. "And my dealings with loneliness are nothing compared to the tales Lady Lambdadelta and Lady Bernkastel could tell you. Unlike me, they have both been trapped inside logic errors."

"Huh?" Kyouko scowls. She can't help herself- and she feels she every right to.

There she was, sat there being all nice and polite, and then out of nowhere that fucking blonde bitch with the comedy gag boobs started cutting into her personal philosophy and Kyouko never even ASKED her to.

"Why else do you think witches invite humans to their world?" asks Beatrice. "For fun? Maa~aaybe. But if we didn't get a few new faces round here every once in a while we'd get lonely."

"My heart bleeds for you," says Kyouko, her voice flat, emotionless.

Beatrice ignores her. "You'd be a stupid girl indeed if you thought you could be alone _forever. _Nobody can do that. Only weak people afraid of being hurt run in the face of human kindness."

"You don't _have _any human kindness," Kyouko spits at Beatrice.

"If I don't, then Maria surely does. She's just a young girl, and she's been alone for so long... I-I don't want her to suffer like that. Sakutaro isn't enough. I'm not enough, Teacher isn't enough. Maria needs more friends, or... I fear for her," says Beatrice, her voice somber.

"And I think you need to learn to stop being so cynical too, Miss Sakura," says Virgilia. "It would do you a world of good."

Somehow, Kyouko knows if Beatrice said that, it'd piss her off a lot more.

Even from Virgilia's mouth it's still irritating, though.

Stupid fucking over-opinionated witches. Kyouko liked it more when they were patchwork zombies with soulless eyes-

_It used to be Sayaka. That monster. It used to be Sayaka._

_It's pretty hard to believe._

_There's no Sayaka left in her anymore._

_Hey, you stupid, headstrong, full-of-life and oh-so-'pure' little girl... Did you grow up already? Despite your (fake) mask of smiles, is this ugly monstrosity the true form of the thoughts and feelings that ate you up from within?_

_You want to kill me?_

_I guess I deserve it. I mean, I did try and kill _you.

_Fair's fair._

_Oh well._

_It's a little hard trying to protect somebody when they're already dead._

_Guess I've got to cut my losses here._

_Shut up and explode._

_... ...Stupid Sayaka._

_It didn't even have to end this way._

Kyouko shudders, the memories tearing through her mind with the force of scissor blades. No, no, no- Kyouko wanted to forget about all that! She wanted to be strong! It's all about her; she's alive and Sayaka... is being fucked around with by the evil witches in the sky. Maybe they're setting Sayaka up already for another game? Another game where she goes insane and Kyouko realizes, a little too late, she always wanted to save somebody- but she can't, because Sayaka already sold her soul to become Miss Mechanical Mermaid with the wheels and the giant fucking sword.

But Kyouko doesn't need Sayaka.

She doesn't need Homura, she doesn't need Madoka.

She only needs herself.

...But Kyouko thinks, given the horrible nature of the witches in 'her' universe, the witches she's sat with here (Beatrice with her blonde hair and... 'interesting' facial expressions, Virgilia with her awesome hat and always-shut eyes) are actually quite a bit nicer. At least they're not eldritch abominations made of dead girls that Kyouko knew once.

Dead girls Kyouko could have saved.

But that ship sailed a long time ago.

Beatrice and Virgilia aren't that bad.

But Kyouko wishes they wouldn't talk to her.

Fighting's easier.

It always has been.

Telling Sayaka her fucking sob story back at the ruined church had been horrible- and not just because of the memories it brought up. Kyouko trained herself to think of it like a movie, and then it doesn't hurt so much.

It hurt because putting words into order and making them _make sense _was such a struggle for Kyouko.

Talking to people means you trust them and trusting people leads to emotions and emotions lead to stupidity and stupidity leads to selfish wishes and that leads to bloodshed.

Blood everywhere.

It's better to be alone really.

Isn't it?

"L-look," says Kyouko- and she's horrified to hear her voice is shaking. Her eyes feel horribly watery, too. Fucking golden butterflies everywhere- surely they were allergens! "Y-you can't sit here and criticize me. You haven't lived through half the shit I have. If you... I-if you saw your own dad- the guy who used to tuck you into bed at night and kiss your forehead and tell you stories, THAT guy, the guy you love more than anything- MURDER your own mom and little baby sister because of something YOU did you'd be pretty... p-pretty... Pretty fucking cynical about humanity in general too! If you live alone you can't hurt people. End of."

"But if you live alone nobody can help you. Nobody will know when you've had enough... a-and you can't do it by yourself anymore. Everybody needs somebody. Even if that 'somebody' isn't even real," says Beatrice. Her fingers press against her heart, taking hold of the black and red material of her dress.

Beatrice's eyes look distant. Far away. She's probably shifting through some deep psychological trauma (what the fuck could Beatrice feel sad about? Did she get served Darjeeling instead of Earl grey once? Kyouko is just _dying _to know), but Kyouko doesn't really care.

Kyouko's the victim here, damn it!

"I give a shit about your back story," Kyouko snarls, slamming a fist against the table. Hasn't she already done this before...? Huh. Who knows. "I don't want to get involved in a little pity party right now, and I'm not gonna spill my guts to you about how sad and lonely I am- poor me! Because I'm _not_ sad or lonely. I make do. On my own."

"Then... perhaps your uniquely 'optimistic' attitude can help Maria. She needs somebody to help her," says Beatrice.

"I already said, I don't need anyone-"

"But Maria _does._"

Kyouko bites her lip.

_You always wanted to protect somebody-_

_Shut up brain_

_But it's true!_

_You wanted to protect Sayaka. You laugh about it now, roll your eyes and call yourself stupid (it was a moment of madness!), but you wanted to help her. You've fucked up all your other human relationships in your sad little life, so I guess you wanted to break with tradition._

_You wanted to try helping somebody for a change._

_Don't people say doing that gives you a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling?_

_Reaching out to Sayaka was a kind gesture and all, but it sort of didn't work because she was too thick-headed to listen (or maybe you didn't explain it well enough) and oh yeah, Sayaka went fucking postal and tried to kill you._

_She _**did**_ kill you._

_You get ten points for effort, but that was really all kinds of pathetic, Sakura Kyouko._

_You want to help somebody?_

_Prove it._

_Pick yourself up from the floor and start again._

_It's easy to keep walking forwards._

Kyouko hates it when her brain talks to her in that 'listen up bitch' sort of voice, because she generally listens to it. And then she makes some 'Really Bad Decisions'. Prime example of a 'Really Bad Decision'- making that fucking contract with Kyuubey in the first damn place.

But...

Kyouko scowls.

This is stupid. Ridiculous. Her last encounter with Sayaka is proof enough she should just leave other people the fuck alone. She was fine by herself. Less people seemed to die that way. W-why is Kyouko even considering this?

_Everybody needs somebody._

Well.

There is that.

It sounds like a valid point.

Kyouko sighs, her fingers pressing against her temples, as she tries to sort through this deluge of thoughts. Give it another go, hero? Try and protect somebody else? Get emotionally attached- then get hurt all over again as you fuck up, or they fuck up, or the whole world around you fucks up and ruins _everything _you worked for?

Mmm. No thanks.

"You say that Maria's a human," says Kyouko- and she hates herself for considering this, she really does. But she can't help herself. "Is there a chance that she could turn into a witch...?"

"Not a 'witch' by your definition of the word," says Virgilia. "The witches you fought do not exist in the 'Earth' Ushiromiya Maria inhabits. Neither do Puella Magi or incubators."

"Sounds like a nice world," says Kyouko. She can't help but smile at the thought. "There's got to be a catch, right? There's always a catch. What about entropy?"

"That exists across the universe."

"Oh..." Kyouko wonders whether she should be upset, but she isn't. She never really understood entropy anyway. Physics- who needs it.

There are other, more urgent, matters to talk about.

"I won't disappear into a puff of logic if I set foot in Maria's world, will I?" asks Kyouko.

"Of course not," says Virgilia. "Not if we modify you a little to peacefully co-exist with the rules of that world."

Ah.

Now here's the crux of the problem.

'Modify'.

Kyouko doesn't like the sound of that word.

It makes her think of needles and science and any number of other unpleasant things.

"What are you going to do to me?" asks Kyouko, wrapping her arms protectively round her body. "I've seen people with botched plastic surgery, right, and it looks awful. I like my body the way it is."

"It's not like plastic surgery," says Beatrice, a small smile crossing her lips. "It's relatively painless."

"Relatively...?"

"It's magic. I'm not going to cut you," says Beatrice.

Kyouko sighs. "I don't know if I believe you. I bet you'd enjoy that. You freak."

"Maaa~aaybe~ Kihihihi~"

"S-so..." Kyouko folds her arms, tries to look uninterested, but the small stutter gives her away. "How old is Maria?"

"Nine."

Kyouko's eyes widen just a little.

So young...

Too young to be all alone.

_The same age as my sister._

_Aiko..._

* * *

><p><strong>an: **Emoshunal stuff. Kyouko is a pretty complex character : she has her 'I don't need anybody!' attitude, but I'm sure it's there to mask a softer side- but she doesn't want to show that softer side, because when she made her 'selfless' wish she (inadvertently) destroyed her whole family. And then the second time Kyouko tried to show her softer side by trying to 'save' Sayaka, she was too late. So I can imagine Kyouko would be a little skeptical about 'helping' anybody again after those two crushing disappointments XD

Beato is also an interesting chara when it comes to emotions, though. She acts like a selfish, bratty child most of the time, but that's also to hide a softer side. And I don't know how many people have read episode 7 of the umineko visual novel, but that reveals some stuff about beato's character which made me think 'given her past, she'd probably hate being alone', but that's my interpretation of her character XD I can't really go into much detail about that without giving huge spoilers for episode 7 of umineko here, but if anybody wants I can explain my reasoning behind beato's character in a pm XD

**~renahhchen xoxo**


End file.
